Lahore is a great and goodly city, being one of the fairest and ancientest in India.  It stands on the river Indus or Sinde;[149] and from this place came the most valuable of the Portuguese trade when they were at peace with the Moguls, as it formed the centre of all their traffic in Hindoostan.  They here embarked their goods, which were carried down the river to Tatta, and were thence transported by sea to Ormus and Persia; and such native merchants as chose to go that way between India and Persia, paid them freight.  They had also a great trade up this river, in pepper and other spices, with which they furnished that part of India.  At this time, the merchants of India assemble at Lahore, where they invest a great part of their money in commodities, and, joining in caravans, they pass over the mountains of Candahar into Persia; by which way it is computed there now pass yearly twelve or fourteen thousand camel loads, whereas formerly there did not go in this way above three thousand, all the rest going by way of Ormus.  These merchants are put to great expences between Lahore and Ispaban, besides being exposed to great cold in winter and fervent heat in summer, and to bad and dangerous roads, usually spending six or seven months in the journey, and they estimate the charges of each camel’s load at 120 or 130 rupees.  In this way Persia is furnished with spiceries, which are brought all the way from Masulipatam by land.  We remained in Lahore from the 24th of April to the 13th of May, refreshing both ourselves and our horses, and providing servants and necessaries for the journey.  We also procured here recommendatory letters from an ambassador to the king of Persia.

[Footnote 149:  Lahore is upon the Ravey, the second of the five rivers forming the Indus, counting from the east, and was the Hydroates of the ancients.  The Indus proper, or Nilab, is considerably farther west.—­E.]

We left Lahore on the 13th May, proposing to overtake a caravan which set out two months before, and went that day eleven c. to a small town named Chacksunder.  The 14th to Non-serai, fifteen c.  The 15th to Mutteray, eight c.  The 16th to Quemal khan, nineteen c.  The 17th to Herpae, sixteen c.  The 18th to Alicasaca, twelve c.  The 19th Trumba, twelve c. and this day we overtook a small caravan that left Lahore eight days before us.  The 20th to Sedousehall, fourteen c.  The 21st to Callixechebaut, fifteen c.  The 22d to Multan,[150] twelve c.  This is a great and ancient city, having the river Indus at the distance of three coss.  All caravans must remain here ten or twelve days, before leave can be procured from the governor to proceed, on purpose that the city may benefit by their stay.  It yields white plain cotton cloth and diaper.  We remained five days, and were then glad to get leave to depart, by means of a present.

[Footnote 150:  In the whole of this itinerary, from Lahore to Multan or Mooltan, down the Ravey river, not a single name in the text, except the two extremities, bears the smallest resemblance to any of those in modern geography.—­E.]